Bill-file



(No Model.)

C. C. BOYKIN.

BILL FILE. No. 550,435. Patented Nov. z5, 1895.

f li- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHRISTOPHER C. BOYKIN, OF BLACKSBURG, VIRGINIA.

BILL-FILE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 550,435, dated Novemberv26, 1895.

Application filed November 17, 1894. Serial No. 529,155. (N o model.)

- and made capable of having the bills successively strung thereon, andit is specically related to that class in which the rod or wire isassociated with means for perforating the bills, so that they may bemore easily and regularly attached to the file, and so that they willnot be unnecessarily torn or mutilated in eifecting such attachment.

This invention consists in certain novel fea-` tures and details ofconstruction and arrangement of parts, as hereinafter fully described,illustrated in the drawings, and finally embodied in the claims.

Figure 1 represents a perspective view of abill-file embodying theessential features of my invention and showing a series of billsthereon; Fig. 2, a longitudinal section taken through one of the rods;Fig. 3, ahorizontal section taken through the base-plate and showing themeans for holding the rods in place, and Fig. 4 a detail perspectiveofone of -the terminals of the filing-rods, showing the cutting devicesthereof.

Two perforating devices are embodied in my invention in consequence ofthe use of two iiling-rods, as will be understood, and the reference-numeral 1 indicates the said iiling-rods, which comprisevertically-extending portions a bent at theirl upperendsto form thedownwardly-extending portions h, the extremities of whichterminate incutting devices, as will be described hereinafter. The filing-rods areeach secured to the base-plate 2, which is formed, preferably, of woodand substantially rectangular in shape.

The securing of the filing-rods is effected by means of the arms 3,which are formed one at each side of the base-platek by slotting thesame, as shown. Y'The slots are onegfor each arm and are locatedy ateach side of the base# plate, they being extended first inwardly andtransversely from the outer sides or edges thereof and thence rearwardlyand longitudinally. This forms two spring-arms which lie inward of theedges or sides of the baseplate and which are integral therewith, thisfact being responsible for a spring tendency which said arms have toextend in alignment with the sides of the base-p1ate.

4 indica-tes a bolt which is passed horizontally and transverselythrough the base-plate 2 and through the free ends of the arms 3, thepurpose of said bolt being to draw the arms inwardly and toward thecenter of the baseplate, causing them to move against their tendency andto decrease the width of the respective slots which form them. By thesemeans the lower ends of the filing-rods l may be respectively clampedbetween the arms 3 and the adjacent portions of the slots which form thearms, whereby the filing-rods are held in proper position as securely asmay be 'a size that it will occupy the major portion of the base-plateforward of the free ends of the arms 3, and is secured to the base-plateso as to be capable of a limited movement thereon by means of the headedpins 6,which are two in number, and which are driven into the base-plateat points just forward of the arms 3, and one near each side ofthebase-plate. These pins pass through openings in the rear edge of theplate. The openings in the bill-receiving plate are slightly larger thanthe pins 6, to the end that the plate mayhave the requisite movementthereon, and this movement consists in a slight vertical swing, makingthe plate capable of moving up to and above the extremities of l thedownwardly-extending portions bof fthe n -v tiling-rods. lFormed bystriking up from the metal composing the plate 5, and one at each sidethereof, are the lugsv 7, which are consequently two in number and whichare transversely aligned with each other. The formation of the lugs 7will decrease to a slight degree the width of the plate 5 rearward ofsaid IOO integral or by riveting them in place, all of which will beunderstood without further description.

Formed in the bill-receiving plate 5, and

at points directly under the extremities of the downwardly-extendingportions b of the tiling-rods l are the circular openings 8,

which are two in number and which .are provided for co-operation withthe perforating devices, as will now be described. Rigidly secured to,preferably by soldering, the eX- tremities of the `downwardlyextendingportions Z) `of the `filing-rods are the tubes '9,Which are provided toout the paper 'and which have their lower ends shaped with twotransversely-aligned points lO, forming substantially a V-shape'dindentation in the lower ends of the tubes. rlhe lower ends oi? theparts h of the filing-rods are similarly lformed, as indicated at 10a,so as to conform to the shape of` the tubes 9, and the tubes areprojected slightly out from the rods soas to leave their cutting-edgesVfree to operate. 'These tubes are of such a size that they will beicapable of passing through the openingslSof the receivingplate, andthey are fgreate-r in -diameter than the diameter of the tilingn'ods,which of course isessentialyowing `'to the Yfact that the tubes embrace`or receive the idling# rods.

The free `or forward edge of 'the plate 5 is formed with a bead l2thereon, whiehadds to i the appearance of the device, and which isprovided to make the manipulation of the plate'easy. This is so byreason-of the fact that the bead furnisheszconvenientme'ans lforgrasping the plate, as is necessary in the foperation thereof.

That portion of each `filing-rod whichcarries l therespectivecutting-tubes is bent forwardly and longitudinally so as toextend in a line approximatelyconforming to the 'arc-'ot the circledescribed bythe plate 5 whenit'swings in its operation. Thus'asthe plate5 Ais moved upward the parts are so 4gaged that'the openings 8 will passover the cuttingtubes, "or rather so that theV cutting-tubes will passthrough the openings, and it is thisoperation by which the perforationof the paper lis eif-` ting-tube it is iirst forced up between thepoints of the same, but the 'elasticity `of the paper immediately reactsagainst the points and causes the disks to be expelled almost instantlyafter they have been lodged between the points. The return of the plate5.also as# sists in the removal loi the disks, which, together with thefact that the rods l extend down into the tubes very nearly to theircutting edges, makes it absolutely impossible for the pertoratingapparatus to be clogged with paper.

In the use of my invention the bills to be filed are placed facedownward upon the receiving-plate and with their front edges inengagement with the lugs 7 of said plate. By these means the position`of the paper may be gaged. When this has been done, the plate 5 shouldbe moved upwardly until the cuttingtubes 9 pass through the respectiveopenings 8, whereupon the paper will be perforated andstrnng upon lthedownwardly-extending portions t of the idling-rods. 'The operation iscompleted releasing the plate-5 and allowing the same to return bygravity to its normal posi-tion, and by moving the bill-up the parts ZJof the filing-rods around the bends thereof 'and finally dow-n thevertically-extending portions e thereof, where they lmay rest thebase-plate, as shown in Fig. l.

The lower ends of the vertical portions a oi' the tiling-rods are"slightly reduced vinv-size and perforated 'to form the leyes l, thepurpose 'of which is @to peimtit secu-ring a 'cordor wire to theloiwefrfend-of each iillifngaod, yso that the bills of the "latter maybe readily transferred to the lcords -or Wires forpermanent DillingerLio'rstoringfwray. "This removal of the bills -is -effeo'ted byloosening the bolt 4, which permits the emms tonioveoutwardly and whichmakes it possible to easily remove the iiling-rods. When this removal ofthe rods has been 4etEo/cted, fthe wi-res or lcords aforesaid maybe-connected to theeyesl and the bills transiter-red, asfenpla'ined. Iti-s-also possible lto remove the @tiled bills bypassing a wire -up*through fthe openings in *the bills when they are in place and thenremoving the Ti-ling rods and bills by way `of the slots in thebase-plate f2. 4|This ravoids the possi-Y bilityof `separating the bilisand kdestroiying their relative arrangement.

lt will be observedthat owing to 'ftl1e'con structionoi myidevi'ce itwill beeasy to refer to the bills `tiledthereon without necessita`t ingtheir removal, all of 'which will be understood. "llhe invention isparticularlyfadapted for the filing ofhdruggists prescriptions, but is,of course, applicable `to all Lother mercan-4 tile purposes and indeedtoalil uses which en; tail the nling of ,papers nof any kind.

fOhanges `inthe lform, proportion, and 'the minor detailso'f-constrnction may be resorted to Without*departing'fromthe principleor `sacrificing any yof Lthe 'advantages of this inven tion.

Having "described the invention, Vl -'claim- (l. A bill ilecomprising`in itsconstruction a base plate "having an Iarm formed integraltherewith and bycujtting-a fslo't inthe base plate, the "arm having aspring `tendency whereby the slot is held open when said tendA IOO IIG

ency is not overcome, a ling rod having its lower end inserted in saidslot, and a bolt passing through the arm and into the main portion ofthe plate, whereby the iiling rod may be removably clamped in place,substantially as described.

2. A bill file comprising in its construction a base plate rectangularin form and having in opposite sides thereof two slots which eX- tendinwardly and thence longitudinally at right angles to the sides, wherebytwo arms are formed integral with the base plate, a bolt passinghorizontally through the arms and base plate, whereby the arms may bedrawn inwardly, and a filing rod for each slot, each rod having itslower end arranged in one of said slots and secured in place by clampingthe corresponding arm against it, substantially as described.

3. In a bill ile, abase plate, a iiling rod secured thereto andextending upwardly therefrom and thence downwardly so as to have twoparallel portions, the free -end of the iiling rod having a cutting edgethereon, and a spring plate mounted on the base plate and having anopening therein capable of receiving the free end of the filing rod asthe plate is moved into engagement therewith, substantially asdescribed.

4. A perforating device consisting of a rod having afV-shaped notch inits end, a cutting tube affixed to and surrounding said end andprojecting slightly beyond the same and also having a V-shaped notchconforming to the notch in the rod, whereby the diameter of thecuttingend of the filing rod is greater than its shank, and a platehaving an opening therein and capable of moving into engagement with thecutting tube and of having the same passed through its opening,sulostann tially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

CHRISTOPHER C, BOYKIN.

Witnesses:

HENRY S. HUBBERT, R. N. MCOLAUGHERTY.

